In the midst of turmoil and hardship, animals regularly bring joy to our lives — on the internet and in the real world. We love them as pets, we marvel at them in the wild, and we play with them on the street. Animals are such an important part of our lives, it only makes sense that animal-related vocabulary would be high on our priority list when learning a new language. Once you know how to talk about animals in Spanish, you’ll be able to have more joyful conversations, more educational travel experiences, and more opportunities to pet dogs in public.
Here’s a list of some of the most useful vocab for discussing animals in Spanish. We also included how some animal sounds are articulated in Spanish, in case you were curious. Press the play button to hear each word or sound pronounced by a native speaker.
General Animal Vocab
the animal — el animal
the pet — la mascota
the farm animal — el animal de la granja
the wild animal — el animal salvaje
the sea creature — el animal marino
the fur — el pelo
the veterinarian — el veterinario (masc.) / la veterinaria (fem.)
Names of Animals In Spanish
the dog — el perro
the cat — el gato
the fish — el pez
the mouse — el ratón
the hamster — el hámster
the rabbit — el conejo
the rat — la rata
the guinea pig — el conejillo de Indias
the chicken — la gallina
the cow — la vaca
the pig — el cerdo
the sheep — la oveja
the goat — la cabra
the donkey — el burro
the horse — el caballo
the elephant — el elefante
the camel — el camello
the bird — el ave
the duck — el pato
the goose — el ganso
the pigeon — la paloma
the penguin — el pingüino
the parrot — el loro
the owl — la lechuza
the eagle — el águila
the dolphin — el delfín
the octopus — el pulpo
the blue whale — la ballena azul
the jellyfish — la medusa
the starfish — la estrella de mar
the shark — el tiburón
the sea turtle — la tortuga marina
the bear — el oso
the wolf — el lobo
the crocodile — el cocodrilo
the snake — la serpiente
the kangaroo — el canguro
the frog — la rana
the squirrel — la ardilla
the giraffe — la jirafa
the hippopotamus — el hipopótamo
the sloth — el perezoso
the deer — el corzo
the bug — el bicho
the fly — la mosca
the mosquito — el mosquito
the spider — la araña
the ant — la hormiga
the bee — la abeja
the butterfly — la mariposa
the moth — la polilla
the cockroach — la cucaracha
Animal Sounds In Spanish
woof — guau
meow — miau
quack quack — cuac cuac
moo — muu
ribbit — croac
caw — cruaac
baa — be-e-e
cluck cluck — cro cro
cock-a-doodle-doo — quiquiriquí